Iron in the Fire
by ForgetMeNotViolet
Summary: Ed is invited to attend the country's most elite academy. But finding his place at this school may be harder than he thought. His new found friends aren't who they appear to be, and the school houses a dark secret. A secret that could very well be deadly.
1. Chapter 1: Opportunity

_**AN**_**: Hey guys! OK, first things first, I thought I should let you guys know that I am in fact, not ForgetMeNotViolet. I am her **_**allegedly**_** 'awesome' Beta Reader. So here's the deal as to why I'm posting on her account and not making my own: I am extremely self conscious. Especially when it comes to publishing my writing. So Violet is so awesome, that she said she'd be my beta for this story, and even allowed me to use her account for this little experiment of mine! So since this is an experiment there're some conditions to what I'm currently doing… but more about that later. **

**So, now, down to business. This is AU. I'm guessing you read the summary so you know what it's basically about. So let's have me stop my babbling, and get on with it!**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist, or Brotherhood… yet…**

**Well I hope you all Enjoy! **

_**Iron in the Fire**_

**Opportunity**

_Ed could feel the heat from the roaring fire in front of him, as it wrap around him, and created an almost suffocating pressure. But he could do nothing but gape in shock at the site before him. Smoke began billowing towards him, and he felt his nostrils fill with it, and his eyes began to sting. He coughed violently from the stifling smoke. The heat was intensifying, and he knew he should probably leave; it would most likely become dangerous to stay so close to the horrific inferno. But he felt as if he were frozen in place, and he couldn't- _

"Edward!"

Edward Elric was awoken from his dream with a jolt at the sound of his teacher's impatient voice. He didn't even need to look up to know that she was standing directly in front of him, tapping her foot, and looking down her nose disapprovingly at him.

"Nice of you to rejoin us, Edward," She drawled, "But I feel it's necessary to remind you, _once again_, that this is a class room, and _not _a nursery. This isn't nap time; please _try_ to pay attention."

Ed sighed. _Here we go again,_ he thought.

This hadn't been the first time he had fallen asleep in Mrs. McCord's class, and he knew he was already treading on thin ice. He was willing to bet that the prick ass woman had disliked him from the moment he walked in the room.

He actually wasn't even supposed to be in Physics yet, seeing as he was only a sophomore. So being put in an AP physics course was something extremely rare and (according to the bastards who had stuck him in this class) was to be considered "an honor". Ed figured he probably hadn't been what the teacher was expecting when he walked in dressed like someone pulled off the streets. The immediate mistrust and skeptical looks were proof enough of that.

He also wasn't known for being completely respectful towards authority, so that was another strike against him as well. He supposed it stood to reason that falling asleep multiple times in the class wasn't really helping the situation. But he really couldn't help it; the class was just so damn _boring_! It also didn't help that he rarely got enough sleep at home.

"Sorry Mrs. McCord. I just found that nothing in your lecture seemed worth listening too," Ed replied bluntly.

A few of the students around him snickered, looked at him in disbelief, or just shook their heads in exasperation.

He doubted that he had ever seen anyone go as red in the face, as Mrs. McCord did in that moment. "Well, Edward, maybe if you bothered to _pay attention_, then you'd realize that what we're currently learning is one of the most advanced types of science. I would believe that that would be something 'worth listening too.' And even if you think differently then may I remind you that you do need to pass this course. So it ought to be 'worth listening too' if it will help you get through this class," She retorted tightly.

Ed only shrugged.

Mrs. McCord pinched the bridge of her nose before turning away sharply and stating coldly, "Edward if you refuse to pay attention you will fail this course. If that's what you want then go right on ignoring my lessons. But I would suggest not being surprised when you receive your graded paper over quantum physics, which I must begin grading now, by the way."

Ed just rolled his eyes and didn't bother responding.

Luckily, the bell saved him from enduring the class too much longer.

"Alright Class! I'll hand back your reports Monday. And don't forget pages 245 through 248 for homework!" Mrs. McCord announced as they filed out.

Ed picked up his bag and started making his way towards the hall.

"Hold on a moment, Edward," Mrs. McCord called, beckoning him over to her desk.

_Shit_, he groaned to himself.

Ed walked over to her cautiously, already trying to find some way out of the trouble he _knew_ he was currently in.

"Yes ?" He asked guardedly. He could practically hear the continued scolding this bitch was going to give him over falling asleep in class and his lack of 'discipline'.

"I thought I should inform you that I just read your report…"

_Oh Great. Here it comes,_ Ed thought. This was actually their first out of class assignment of the year, so Ed truly had no idea what to expect her to say. But he did know from personal experience that when a teacher actually called you out to talk about a grade, it was rarely a good thing.

She sighed and leaned forward on her elbows while massaging her temples. "Edward, be honest, have you been listening any of the lessons I teach?"

"Honestly?" He asked feeling slightly amused, "Some, but not really."

Mrs. McCord let out a deep breath of air and shook her head, "I don't know how you did it then. Your paper was spot on, and somehow, I have no idea how though, you managed to touch on aspects that I have yet to even teach in this class. How on earth did you pull this off?" She asked, irritation lacing her words.

Ed looked at her in shock. That had _not _been what he had expected to hear. He stared at her. "… Ummmm… The internet, I guess," He replied uncertainly.

"Oh? So you plagiarized someone else's work?" She said haughtily.

Ed immediately bristled. Just who the hell did she think he was?

"No I didn't plagiarize someone else's work, damn it! I found information on it, when I looked into it on the computer! I wouldn't sink so low as to take credit from someone else!" He raged.

He saw Mrs. McCord raise her thinly penciled eyebrows at his word choice, but to his shock she didn't seem mad… only perplexed. "So you _willingly_ looked up extra information?" She asked suspiciously.

Ed felt his cheeks heat a bit, knowing that this probably made him seem like some over achieving goodie- two shoes. But he nodded anyways.

"Why?" She asked, looking incredulous.

"Why not?" He countered.

"Edward, if you can't be bothered to pay even the slightest bit of attention in my class, it seems highly unlikely that you would take the initiative to look into _any_ type of physics. So, is it truly odd that I wonder why you suddenly took some sort of interest in it?" She replied seemingly exasperated.

Ed's face reddened a bit more. "Well… Umm… I-uh… I guess I just…" He stammered out.

"Well?" Mrs. McCord demanded impatiently.

He took a breath and sighed, he supposed there was no shame to admitting it, "I… I just like science." He shrugged, "I've always found it interesting; especially certain aspects of chemistry and physics. I'd heard some of the stuff about physics from my previous classes, and I have heard _some_ of the things in this class, and, well… it sounded pretty interesting."

Mrs. McCord scrutinized him for a moment, as if trying to discern how much truth was in his words, or trying to figure out if she had heard him correctly. In reality Ed knew exactly what she was doing. She was trying to pass some sort of official judgment on him; she was trying to figure out what type of person he really was. He was used to this. People seemed to judge him all the time, whether it was his attitude, his language, his attire, and from time to time even his knowledge. He was used to it, but that didn't prevent him from feeling slightly irked every time it happened.

Mrs. McCord looked down, sighing as she began massaging her temples again. She finally turned her gaze back up to him; her face composed once more. "You like science?"

"Certain aspects of it," Ed replied brusquely.

"Like?"

"Like chemical equations, and elements combining to make compounds, or changing a compounds structure to make it into something else, that type of stuff. And I figured that to help get a better understanding of all that I should probably know some of the stuff it revolves around too."

His teacher was silent again for a bit before speaking. "… Alright then. Thank you Edward, you may go," She said dismissively.

Ed only gave her a curt nod, before turning on heel and walking away, leaving the woman to her pondering.

* * *

When Ed got back, the only thing he wanted to do was eat and then sleep. He felt utterly exhausted. He was totally worn out from the long week he had suffered. So the last thing he wanted to do at the moment was Dante's stupid chores.

There was always a crap load of chores to do around the ranch, and she often stuck the kids with them instead of hiring ranch hands. Ed had confronted her about it once, asking her why they had to do all of the work. She told him that having many responsibilities and having to perform difficult tasks like these taught them responsibility and built character. "As is our job." She had finished curtly.

Ed figured the bitch probably just didn't want to do any of the work herself, or didn't want to pay money to have someone else do them. But honestly he wasn't going to contradict her, because if he did she would just add more to his unending list. And if he continued to complain she would probably call in Brasque to 'talk' to him, and he had no desire to deal with the man _what so ever_. So he looked at the list that was posted on the door, and then went to finish the tasks he had been assigned for the day.

Ed felt like he was about to collapse when he trudged back into the house after finally finishing the chores. He had been here for over a year and a half now, but he still felt as if he'd been worked to the bone every time he finished the everyday chore list.

"Ed?" Dante called from the kitchen, where she was sitting reading a novel. She was a short, thin woman, who had auburn hair with wisps of gray in it. Her nose was crooked almost like a bird's, and her eyes were narrow, as if she were part snake or something. "Have you finished everything?"

"Yes, Dante." Ed replied feeling exasperated.

"Alright then, you can go upstairs." She nodded to him once before returning to her novel.

He began climbing the stairs; wanting to do nothing more than crash onto his bed and pass out. But, as luck would have it, he ended up passing Vera on the stairs.

Vera was actually Dante and Brasque's niece, and since her dad had died and her mom had to travel around a lot because of her job, she had been sent here (to Edward's dire misfortune) to be looked after by her aunt and uncle. She was a spoiled rotten, prima donna, who couldn't seem to keep her head out of her ass.

To say that he and Vera didn't get along would be an understatement.

Her aunt and uncle seemed to absolutely adore her, so most of the kids in the house had either steered clear of her or sucked up to her as if she were royalty. Ed hadn't been so submissive. He treated her just like he treated everyone else in the house. Suffice to say, this had pissed her off. Majorly. The two had seemed to be at constant odds with each other for the first month that she had been there. Unsurprisingly, it hadn't taken her long to eventually go running to her dear "Auntie and Uncle", and tell them about how mean and '_terrible'_ he had been towards her.

It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the two wardens had been ticked off when they found out. This had earned him a 'talk' from Brasque and nearly twice as many chores from Dante. But even after all that, Ed's tone and posture around her still turned icy and vindictive. Although he no longer talked to her so brashly, this hadn't gone unnoticed by Vera. And she sure as hell wasn't shy about insulting him. But of course she couldn't just leave it at that.

A few weeks later, they had both been sent to get something from the top story of the barn. She was just standing there on the ladder giving him orders as he did all of the actual work. But without any warning the ladder Vera had been standing on gave way and began falling to the side.

When she screamed his hand reflexively shot out to grab hers. But when he grabbed it her body turned, causing her wrist to twist painfully in a different direction. He tried to grip her forearm tighter in order to pull her up, but her foot had caught in the falling ladder, and the momentum carried her down. The most he had been able to succeed in doing was slowing down the fall.

Afterwards, he had helped her back to the house, where Dante looked at her wounds and assessed that Vera had a bruised hip bone, a fractured ankle, a sprained wrist, and a few other bruises as well. When the wardens finally stopped being so worried over her injuries they asked her how this had happened; then everything went to hell.

The little bitch had blamed the whole thing on _him_! Claiming that he had pushed the ladder, causing her fall, and of course she couldn't leave out the part about him being the one to directly cause the injuries to her arm. He had tried to tell them that that had _not_ been what had happened, but they refused to listen to him. He had never seen Dante so angry, but compared to Brasque, she had seemed tame.

He still did his best to suppress the rest of what had happened that night. It was not something he wanted to relive_. Ever_.

He shot Vera a glare as he passed her on the stairs. She seemed to catch the look out of the corner of her eye, and merely sneered at him in response. For the briefest of seconds he could have sworn he saw a bit of guilt cross her face, but looking at the smirk that was now there, he was sure it had just been his imagination. These days he and Vera typically avoided each other, but, needless to say, when they did cross paths it wasn't pretty.

Ed continued on up and eventually reached the cubbyhole that they called a room. A ranch house, while decently sized, was typically not built to have 7 or more kids living within the upstairs quarters. And sharing rooms really just didn't work out very well for people like them. So the wardens had had the walls of a lot of rooms knocked down, in order to make more of them. There were now 8 rooms upstairs, and there were even more in the basement.

The rooms were incredibly small and stark white. The room was really only big enough to hold a twin bed, a small nightstand, and a dresser. And that meant there wasn't much space to move around. They were allowed to decorate their rooms some, but they of course had to use their own money. To add to the discomfort, everyone upstairs shared one bathroom. Talk about a nightmare.

Ed walked into his room, nearly slamming the door, and flopped onto his bed before righting himself. Running into Vera had made his mood turn sour, and sleep was no longer on his mind. He didn't quite hate Dante and Brasque, they were actually trying to do their jobs, it was just their methods that were considered extremely unorthodox.

Dante and Brasque Grahn ran a clinic that was for 'troubled' orphans. Kid's who had never found a family to belong to, and had certain behavioral issues ended up here. That was the reason he was here.

He didn't remember much about his past, other than the fact that his dad had pretty much been a no show, and his mother had died when he was only four. He was pretty sure he had had a sibling or two… but he couldn't be certain. If he had, they must have been separated from him pretty early on.

He had always had issues controlling his anger, and also had an immense lack of respect for authority. His coarse attitude was often an immediate turn off for adults, and they were always very suspicious of his antics. Because of that his environment tended to be rather stifling, not quite as bad as this hellish clinic was granted, but that was still one of the things he hated most. Suffice to say, he had gotten into a fair amount of trouble throughout his life. That's what had landed him here.

The clinic often had their clients schedule monthly sessions with a councilor. Ed had been anything but thrilled to hear about this. And throughout the entire first session he had told the man with a nasal voice, a balding head, and a pathetic mustache, virtually nothing. But somehow when he came out, the idiot had declared that Ed had the same issue as most orphaned teenagers.

"He's only feeling angry because he doesn't have a home. He is converting his sorrow and frustration into rage, and using it negatively." The prick had announced.

Ed glared at the blank wall in front of him. His anger had nothing to do with his not having 'a home', as the man had put it. It was merely because he had a short fuse and was incredibly impatient; therefore a lot of things ticked him off easily.

And also, he didn't want 'a home', that phrase made him sound like he was some stray dog. What he wanted was a family. It didn't matter where they lived in his opinion. Hell they could even live in a cardboard box for all he cared! All he wanted was a family that was willing to take him as himself. People who would be willing to accept both his gifts _and_ his flaws. He wanted a family that cared about him as he was. And not some jack ass people that wanted to mold him into someone different. But he wasn't going to fool himself. At 15 years old, he probably wouldn't find a family that would want to take him in.

Even though the therapist had been annoying to listen to, and incredibly inaccurate, Ed had to admit that the therapy sessions had their advantages. Since he had such an anger management problem the man had suggested that he take some type of boxing or martial arts class to help him work out his anger in a positive fashion. Ed wouldn't deny that he considered that a pretty sweet deal. He'd always wanted to learn a bit more about fighting than just the basic punches and kicks.

The therapist had also prescribed him a type of medication that would supposedly help him keep control of his anger. The way Ed saw it, they basically wanted to drug him up, and have him act like some mellowed out hippie. The wardens had truly believed he had been taking it. They rarely even noticed that he still got into a few fights at school, or that their pet Rottweiler, Barry (though most of the clinic kids called him 'chopper' because of the way he bit at people's legs), had suddenly become much calmer and less prone to snapping at people around the same time that Ed had begun to receive the medication.

He supposed it was a good thing that the prescription didn't have any harmful toxins in it, or else he might have had to be dealing with one sick dog.

Ed laughed to himself quietly, thinking about how even when people did everything they could think of to keep him in a box, they still didn't have near as much control over him as they believed they did.

* * *

The weekend was uneventful and passed by like usual. He had figured it to be another boring weekend of nothing but chores. That is until Sunday afternoon came around.

"Edward!" He heard Brasque's booming voice shout at him from downstairs. "Get down here! There's a man here who says he wants to talk to you about school!" A dangerous note crept into the man's voice.

_Crap_, Ed thought. He wondered if he had been kicked out of AP physics or something. He really hoped not. One of the wardens' strictest policies dealt with grades and school. If he had gotten into enough trouble to have someone visit the clinic personally, then he must really be in deep shit.

Ed came out of his room and walked down the stairs cautiously. As he walked into the room, he couldn't help but notice that he had never seen this guy before. If he was supposedly from the school wouldn't he have recognized him as one of the teachers or administrators there? He had already met _them_ before. But he was pretty certain that he'd never seen the person who now sat on the couch in the living room.

He had rather shaggy short black hair, and eyes that were so dark blue that they looked like they were almost completely black. His face was young and Ed figured he was somewhere between his mid and late twenties.

When he entered the room, the man stood up.

"I suppose you're Edward Elric." The man phrased it as more of a statement than a question.

When Ed nodded the corners of his lips turned up in a smirk, as if he had just been delivered a piece of satisfying news.

"Well then it's very nice to meet you Edward." The man stuck out his hand, "My name is Roy Mustang."

_**AN**_**: Wow… That was longer than I had expected it to be. Alright,** **so here's what the deal is. I have been wanting to post a fanfic for a while, but never got the nerve to do so until now. **_**But**_** if no one is going to read it, then I'm not sure I'm going to keep posting it. So if you guys like this, or even think you might remotely like this, please, please, please review! If you do I'll give you a virtual cookie. It will help kick up my self esteem and give me the strength to keep going with this. If I can't get reviewers after the first several chapters, I'll probably stop posting it. If I do get enough reviews to keep my self esteem up then we'll see where it goes from there… heck I might even make my own account! So once again, please review! If you have a friend that you think would like this please refer them to it! Reviewing actually doesn't take a whole lot of time(trust me I was shocked when I found this out for myself), and it will help keep the story going!=D **

**Hope you enjoyed!=D**


	2. Chapter 2: Goodbyes and New Beginnings

_**AN**_**: Hey Guys! I'm back! Once again thought I'd remind you that I'm not ForgetMeNotViolet. Like I have said before, she is an awesome friend, because she's letting me post my experiment on her account and even editing it for me! =D First of all I'd like to start by saying, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! To everyone who reviewed! You guys are really helping me keep this story up! So once again everyone, please, please, please, Review! Ok well let me go ahead and get on with it, so that you guys can actually read. **

_**Disclaimer**_**: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist, or Brotherhood… yet… **

**Me: "Hiromu Arakawa?"**

**HA: "… yes…?"**

**Me: "I'm going to need you to hand over the rights to the Full Metal Alchemist franchise."**

**HA: "…Huh? Why?"**

**Me: *Grins evilly and pulls out metal bat***

**Well I hope you all Enjoy! **

**Goodbyes and New Beginning's**

Roy studied the teen that sat in front of him carefully. His demeanor suggested that he was indifferent at the thought of having a visitor, but Roy could clearly see the gleam of curiosity in the boy's golden eyes.

He figured he might as well break the ice. "Well, Mr. Elric, I'm from-"

"Edward." The boy interrupted, correcting him.

Roy quirked an eyebrow but continued nonetheless, "Well, Edward, I'm from the Amestris Academy back East. Have you ever heard of it?"

Edward seemed to think for a second before asking snidely, "Isn't it that rich school for a bunch of prick ass preps?"

Roy frowned but pressed on, "It's one of the most elite schools in all of the country, and incredibly hard to receive entrance to. It's known for having one of the best academic programs. Specifically, its excellent science program."

Edward sat up a bit straighter, and the curiosity in his eyes burned brighter. Then they narrowed in suspicion. "So?"

"_So,_ we received a notice from your school over the weekend, they say you seem to have quite an interest in the field of science. Your grades in all of your AP science classes have been exemplary, and at the beginning of the year, you were transferred into a science class a year ahead of your own. They suggested that we ask you if you'd be interested in being transferred to Amestris. _If _we chose to accept you, that is," He finished a slight challenge in his tone.

Ed felt himself go rigid with shock. He had heard what the man had told him, but somehow his mind was suddenly having difficulty processing it all.

"Now wait just a damn minute!" Brasque cut in abruptly, "This boy is here for a reason! You can't just waltz right in and act like he can just leave! We were put in charge of keeping him in check! Besides, if this school is so high up, there's no way someone like _him_ could afford it," He finished smugly.

Roy frowned and shot the large man an annoyed look. "Actually," he said curtly, "I _can_ get him released from here. I was told of the issue when the school called me, so I called the nearest law firm, and they connected me to the person in charge of operations such as this. And they told me that there would not be a problem in getting him released from here, since there has been no real issue with his anger management lately."

Brasque seemed to turn an angry shade of purple at this. "But, but, that's not-" He spluttered.

Roy continued calmly though, "But you forget, I said if we _choose_ to accept him. If he were to get into the academy, he'd have to do so on a scholarship. So of course we have certain procedures for someone to acquire such. Oh, and he'd have to agree to it as well." He turned his gaze back to Edward, who seemed to be completely stunned.

Ed could barley believe what was going on. Some big shot school wanted him there? The whole thing seemed to have an unrealistic sense to it. But to be able to get out of this hell hole? To be able to go to a school that specialized in _science_? To finally be free of this jail house and its wardens? He wanted to get out of here so badly, and now he was _finally_ being given the chance! He suddenly felt more hopeful than he had in a long time.

"So…" Ed inquired cautiously, "_If_ I was interested in going… how would I get in?"

Roy smirked. "You'd merely have to take a test so that we can properly evaluate if you're up to Amestris's standards."

Ed frowned before asking, "When would I take the test?"

The smirk on Roy's face grew larger. "Why right now of course," He replied as if this was already obvious.

Edward looked at him blankly. "Huh?"

Roy picked up his briefcase and shifted through some of the papers inside before bringing out a test booklet and a pencil.

Brasque cut in again. "You carry tests with you to random people's houses, instead of doing this officially?" He scoffed.

Roy once again looked irked by the man's interference, but responded in a cool tone nonetheless. "This _is_ doing things officially. It's just in a manner that happens to save everyone time, and saves me from having more paperwork."

Ed would have sworn he heard Brasque mutter something under his breath about "A lazy prick", but he couldn't be sure.

"So?" Roy asked holding out the pencil. "Feel up for it?"

Ed hesitated for a second before nodding and taking the pencil from his hand.

There was a satisfied smirk that once again took its place on Roy's face. Then he turned to the Grahns. "I'll have to ask the two of you to leave," He held up a hand when they tried to protest. "Its standard protocol that there is to be no one around except for an administrator of the school to keep watch over a student taking an entry exam. I'm sorry but you're going to have to leave." Ed couldn't help but notice that he sure didn't look all that sorry.

The Grahns glowered at him, but reluctantly left the room.

Roy leaned back, the satisfied smirk that seemed permanently fixed on his face growing larger. "Whenever you're ready," He told the boy.

Ed couldn't help but suddenly feel apprehensive, and he sighed inwardly before picking up the test packet and starting to work. He was honestly surprised when he found that the first few questions were actually pretty easy. There were a few now and again that seemed to leave him stumped for a second, but it didn't take him long to figure those out either.

Then, as he was pondering over a certain question, reality seemed to sink in. What the hell was he _doing_? Some random guy comes to the house and suddenly he's taking a test to get admitted into some stuck-up prep school? He knew he wanted out of the clinic, but shouldn't he at least look into this more? The guy had only been there for about twenty minutes for Christ's sake! How did he know that this bastard wasn't just setting him up or something? And besides that, he had heard of this academy before, so he knew for a _fact_ that it really was a school for rich preps, and pricks. So why the hell would he _want_ to go?

Ed thought about this for a second. He knew the right answer to the question he had stopped on, but as all the doubts whirled in his mind, he deliberately answered wrong. And he continued doing the same thing as he went on answering the rest of the questions. The school could take the test failure as a flat out 'Not Interested' on his part.

Roy watched the boy work over the test as he relaxed on the couch. He had seen so many people take this test that he pretty much already knew the answers to each question. So far, the kid seemed to be doing well. He didn't take long on a lot of the problems, and even when he did have to ponder one for a bit he was quick to figure it out. But suddenly he stopped about halfway through the test. He didn't move for a bit, and it was taking him longer on this question then it had on any of the others.

He figured that the kid had probably just come to one that really stumped him. But Roy couldn't help but notice when he circled the wrong answer. He still didn't think much of it though, it was possible for someone to just not know the answer and guess. But Roy noticed that he was now getting every question wrong without any hesitation.

Roy was suddenly suspicious of what the kid was doing. If he didn't know better it almost seemed as if he was purposely getting the questions wrong. It seemed so unnatural that someone that had been flying through the test with ease was now getting all of the questions wrong.

Suddenly he remembered one of the things Edward had said: _"Isn't it that rich school for a bunch of prick ass preps?" _

He pondered this for a second. Edward hadn't seemed liked he really cared for the idea of coming anywhere near this school until he had mentioned the science program and the opportunity he had to get in. And even then he had mostly seemed more shocked than anything else. If the initial shock from Roy's visit had worn off and was replaced with the former disdain for Amestris, then would he still consider going?

Watching the boy continually choose the wrong answer made him think that the response was a no. Roy felt a bit frustrated at the thought of losing such a promising student. But then he also remembered something else. When he had mentioned that Ed would be able to get out of this 'clinic' as they called it, his eyes had lit up, as if he wanted nothing more in the world. Roy wasn't sure why but there was something about this place that felt… wrong to him. He honestly didn't blame the kid for wanting to get away. But if Edward kept going as he was now, he would fail the test.

Without really even giving it much thought Roy leaned in and asked him, "Do you _really_ want to _stay_ here?"

Ed froze on the spot. Roy's words rang in his ears. How had this guy known that he was deliberately throwing the test? But to be honest that wasn't the most prominent of questions that he was asking himself right now. Right now he was thinking about what the man had asked him. _Did_ he really want to stay here? Ed immediately thought: _Hell_ no! But then he wondered: If he didn't want to stay… then why was he throwing away his chance to get out? The thoughts from before reared their heads again, but this time, as he compared them to the current question in his mind, they seemed insignificant.

He asked himself the question again. Did he really want to stay here? The answer suddenly seemed obvious, and he erased the problems he had done on the page he was currently on, before answering them correctly. He was once again so absorbed in his task that he didn't even notice Roy lean back and smirk in triumph.

After Ed finished the test he handed it back to Roy. He took the packet without saying anything, and pulled a red pen out of his briefcase. It didn't even take him two seconds before he was already grading it. Unfortunately though the man had the test angled to where Ed couldn't see what he was doing.

The apprehensiveness Ed had felt before seemed to return. And he couldn't help but feel slightly fidgety as his possible chance of escaping this hellish clinic were being evaluated.

Finally after what seemed to be forever, Roy looked up at him. Ed still couldn't see the test grade and was anxious to know if he had passed.

Then Roy smirked at him. "Congratulations Edward," He held out his hand, "Welcome to Amestris Academy."

* * *

"So you're leaving?" Martel asked him as he was throwing his clothes into an old suitcase.

"Yup," He answered shortly.

Martel frowned as she watched her friend continue packing. "Why are you leaving so soon? You just passed the test like not even two hours ago, and you're already leaving tomorrow?"

Ed stopped packing and turned his gaze to her, "What reason do I have to stay?" He asked her bluntly.

She looked at him for a second, then shrugged. "I dunno."

Ed just sighed before turning back to the task at hand. He and Martel had been friends pretty much the entire time he had been there. She was known for being a bit of a pick pocket, which of course had been what had landed her here, but Ed trusted Martel with just about anything. As far as he knew, she had been doing pretty well at breaking her habit. Well, that is if you didn't count the times she had stolen and then hid some things from a couple of the clinic kids that she had a grudge against.

They had a sort of unspoken pact that they would watch each other's backs around here. Martel tended to help him stay out of trouble with the other kids around the house, and Ed's ability to deceive people came in handy when she was accused of stealing something. He had to admit that she was one of the few people he'd regret to leave behind. But Martel was seventeen and was going to be released in another few months after she turned eighteen, so in a way he was only speeding up the inevitable.

As if reading his thoughts Martel suddenly said, "Man! Now who's gunna get me outta trouble around here when I steal something from Yoki!" She whined playfully.

Yoki was a boy Martel's age who lived a few doors down from Ed. He was officially one of the most obnoxious people in the entire house. He was almost as bad as Vera when it came to tattle telling, and he often shirked his responsibilities onto the younger ones in the house. And the few times Ed had tried to punch his lights out; he had hid behind some of the tougher boys in the clinic. The guy was nothing more than a stuck up weasel.

Ed smiled a bit, "Sorry, can't help you there."

Martel grinned back for a second. Then it dropped and she sighed. "We're going to miss you around here," She said softly.

Ed glanced to the side in order to avoid her gaze. He laughed sort of guiltily, "Come on, you guys will probably barely know I'm gone!"

She gave him a wary smile. "Doubt it," She replied. But then a more genuine smile crossed her features. "But you know if one of us had to make it outta this hell hole, I'm glad it's you. Especially since your definitely not one of the wardens' favorites," She pointed out.

Ed looked back at her. "Thanks," He told her gratefully.

* * *

Ed's departure had been relatively uneventful. The wardens had seemed both displeased and happy to be rid of him at the same time. Martel and a few of his other friends from the clinic wished him luck, while the rest of the kids had just glared at him.

Ed wondered what this new school would really be like. He wondered if he would be staying in a dorm with a lot of people, or just sharing a room with another student. If he was, he wanted to know just what type of person he'd be living with. Because he really didn't feel like getting kicked out and sent straight back to the clinic after only the first week for punching someone in the face.

All of this ran through his head as he pretended to be asleep in the backseat of the cab that had come to take him to the academy.

At some point though he must have actually fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew the driver had stopped in front of a gate.

The gruff looking man turned around, "We're here."

Ed stepped out of the car and stretched his muscles. He stopped dead when he saw the huge building that loomed before him. The whole thing looked like a few oversized mansions clustered in one area. He knew the place would probably be big, but he hadn't expected it to be _this_ large.

Suddenly he heard a familiar voice.

"Edward."

Ed turned to find none other than Roy Mustang beckoning him over to where he stood.

When Ed reached him, Roy asked, "So? What do think?" He swept his hand towards the building in mock theatrics.

As amazed as Ed was there was no way in hell he'd tell this guy that he thought the campus was absolutely incredible. So he only shrugged nonchalantly. It didn't seem to bother Roy though.

"Come on, I'll show you to the office so that you can get checked in." He said, waving Ed on.

He led Ed through the building and it's rather intricate hallways. They had climbed a couple of stories before they finally reached a Door marked: office. Roy pushed it open, and Ed found himself in a brightly lit area with a few more doors that separated different desks. They eventually reached a desk that stood outside another door labeled: principle.

A woman with blonde hair and light brown eyes sat behind the desk, wearing a suit that almost looked more appropriate for some sort of business meeting than an office secretary.

"Hello, Hawkeye," Roy said pleasantly.

The woman frowned. "Sir, what are you doing? Didn't you receive the evaluation forms I put on your desk?" She asked, clearly displeased.

"I was merely showing our newest student around," He replied casually, gesturing towards Ed.

Her frown deepened. "Sir, you know we have escorts for doing such things. You really should be working on your paperwork," She said, before adding, "No offense to you of course, Edward."

Ed couldn't recall his name ever being said, but he didn't question it.

Roy gave the woman a false look of innocence, "But, you know I like to personally meet as many of my students as possible. And this seemed like an excellent opportunity."

Hawkeye gave him a hard look. "Sir," She began firmly, "Go get started on those forms, I'll take care of everything else here."

Roy seemed like he was about to protest, but when he saw the no-nonsense look in her eyes, he just heaved a sigh before complying.

_Wait…_ Ed thought to himself as he watched Mustang enter the office, _This guy is the principle?_ He couldn't help but wonder at just how old he really was.

Hawkeye watched the man for a bit, just to be sure he really was starting his work, before she turned back to Ed.

"Sorry about that, the principle can sometimes tend to shirk his responsibilities. Especially when it comes to paperwork," She added sending a glare towards his office. But then she smiled back at Ed again, "We really are happy to have you here."

Ed only nodded in response.

"I'm Ms. Hawkeye," The woman continued, "I'm the secretary here, so if there's anything I might be able to help you with throughout the year, don't hesitate to ask," She rummaged around in her desk a bit before pulling out a slip of paper. "Here," She said handing it to him, "This is your class schedule for the semester. It also has your room number, and the name of your roommate."

So he _did_ have a roommate. Ed looked at one the top line of the paper. Underneath his name was the room number 314, and across the page was the name of his roommate: Ling Yao.

_Ling Yao?_ Ed wondered_, What is he like a foreigner or something?_ Whatever he was, Ed just hoped the guy wouldn't be a total jack ass. He doubted this school would put up with his anger issues.

"Havoc!" Hawkeye called.

A blond haired man poked his head around the corner of his office door. "Yeah?" He inquired.

"Could you please show Edward to his room?" She asked, gesturing towards Ed.

Havoc grinned. "Sure thing."

"Thank you," Hawkeye told him, before turning her attention back to Ed. "Well, good luck," She smiled encouragingly.

Havoc talked the entire time while showing Ed to his room. He was pretty sure he was talking about the campus and such, but he also could have sworn he heard the words, "my girlfriend", somewhere during the one-sided conversation. But Ed was a bit too wrapped up in his own thoughts to really pay any attention. He still felt worried over all the possible things that could go wrong at this school.

"Well, we're here," Havoc said stopping in front of a door marked 314. "Good luck. Oh! And remember to watch out for those fire birds!"

_Fire birds? Just what the hell had he been talking about the whole time?_ Ed wondered. He sighed inwardly_. Oh well, let's just get this over with._ He pushed open the door.

The room looked like most typical dorm rooms. It had a desk on either side, two dressers, another door that he assumed led to a bathroom, and two beds. One of which had a person perched on the edge of it, who was currently completely engrossed in the task of eating their sandwich. They looked up when Ed went to step inside the room.

"Hi!" The guy said jumping off the bed. He walked over and grabbed Ed's hand, not waiting for him to respond, and shook it vigorously. "You must be my new roommate! Edward, right? Or do you prefer to be called something else?"

Ed immediately withdrew his hand and regarded his new roommate cagily before replying, "Uh… most people just call me Ed," The person who stood before him, who he assumed was Ling, had long choppy black hair that was pulled back into a pony tail, and dark eyes that were barely visible because he looked like he was squinting.

"Ok, so I'll call you Ed," Ling smiled, "It's good to meet you. I'm Ling. So what do think of this place? Wait, you just got here. Did you really get to see much of the school? Probably not. So did the guys out front already talk your ear off? They did when I first came. They just kept talking, and talking, and talking. Talk about annoying."

_**How**__ is he not pausing? _Ed just stared at him blankly.

"So I guess that means you probably don't know the way around huh? I can help you out. Only I want one thing in return!" Ling stated, a sly smile crossing his face.

"What?" Ed asked warily.

The smile on Ling's face grew larger. "You have to buy all my meals for the month!"

Ed looked at him in utter confusion. "Uh… What?"

"Yeah, the cafeteria food's ok and all, but it's not nearly as great as the snack bar! They have roast chicken there! Is that insane or what? But it's sorta expensive, and after a while the money starts adding up! So, I figured, I scratch your back, you pay for my meals! Good idea, huh. I mean not to sound rude or anything, but their food is just so good! And if I eventually get to where I'm too broke to eat there, I'm not sure what I'd-"

"Uh… Ling?" Ed interrupted.

Ling stopped and looked at him, "Yeah?"

"Shut the hell up."

Ling blinked at him and seemed to be in shock for a second. The second passed. "Oh." He grinned sheepishly and let out a nervous laugh, "Ok."

"Sorry to tell you, but I don't even have money to buy my own lunch," Ed informed him.

"Oh?" Ling inquired, "Not to sound intrusive, but are you one of those scholarship students?"

Ed nodded.

Ling's face broke into a smile again. "Cool! I wish I was smart enough to get a scholarship. I like science and all, and I'm not half bad at it, which is why I came here, but there's no way I could get a scholarship for it! Luckily enough, my family was willing to spend the money to send me here."

"So, they really do have a pretty good science program here?" He asked.

"Yup! One of the best! The teachers can be a bit strict from time to time, but the classes are still really awesome!" Ling said cheerfully.

Ed grinned a bit, "Cool."

Ling glanced at the clock on the wall. "Whoops, I think we'd better go. You came just in time, the lunch break is about to be over."

"You guys sure don't waste time around here," Ed remarked.

Ling only laughed, "Nope! None at all. Here let me see your schedule," He asked holding out his hand.

Ed handed him the slip of paper Ms. Hawkeye had given him.

Ling scanned it over before handing it back to him. "Looks like you and I both have AP IPC next," Ling smiled, "Awesome, you'll get to meet some of my friends."

Ed just shrugged. "K," He responded indifferently.

He waited as Ling got his book bag together. As much as Ling talked, he seemed to be a decent enough guy. Ed was pretty sure he could handle living with him.

"Alright, let's go," Ling announced walking out the door.

The hallways were actually pretty empty right now, or at least in this part of the building they were in. They started passing more people as they got closer to what Ed assumed was the heart of the building.

Suddenly, something caught his eye on the boy walking next to him.

"Cool tattoo," Ed remarked.

Ling blinked at him before a grin crossed his features. He brought up the back of his hand, which had a design of a dragon looking as if it was about to eat its own tail, encircling a star shaped symbol. "Thanks."

Ed was about to question it more as they were rounding a corner, when all of a sudden the breath was knocked out of him and he felt himself crash to the ground.

_**AN**_**: Ok, I have to know… Who saw that coming? If you did, then I want my palm read. Thank you guys So, So , So much for reading! And now, I'm **_**begging**_** you to review! The experiment still stands with the same guidelines, not enough reviews, then I'll cut the story short. And knowing me, I'll probably cut it off at the worst possible time. Yes, that is a threat=D. But I truly am totally more grateful than you know to the people who reviewed! Please keep doing so, you guys are so awesome! And the offer still stands as well, review and you get virtual cookies! So once again Thank you all, so, so much! All of you rock! And if you liked, or if you want me to correct something, then Please Review!=D**

**Ugh. Well now I've got even bigger problems. .. Getting out of the dumpster that Arakawa's guards threw me into. Maybe in hindsight my idea wasn't the best… But to be honest, the really freaky part was that the two who threw me out of the building, looked like the two Armstrong siblings! But of course we know this can't truly be them, since we all know that it would be impossible for Alex and Olivier to work together everyday… right?**

**I hope you all enjoyed!=D **


	3. Chapter 3: Rules to Making Friends

_**AN:**_** I. Am. SO, SO, SO, SOx10, SORRY! My gosh you guys, I really can't apologize enough for being so late on this. I swear I've had it written for months though! I've just had…. Many complications with this chapter. Anyways, it's been forever and some stuff has changed soooo… Yeah. If you wish to just get on with the story you may skip what I say next since it's me rambling. Though you maybe should read it because I'll probably say something of importance.**

**(Unnecessary): OK, firstly I realized about halfway through writing this chapter that if I put in everything I wanted to then the chapter would be like… 20 pages long. So I had to figure out how to cut it down. Then when I was about ¾ of the way through… I dropped my computer, and it broke. I was able to have it fixed, but I lost all documents I had stored there. Wonderful. -_- So, I had to rewrite it during my extremely busy schedule and finally finished. Then I sent it off to Violet for Beta-ing. She got about halfway through when she was grounded from her computer. For MONTHS. She finally was able to send it to me and get her computer back. (Yes, she is amazing and this story would suck without her awesomeness!) And then I had many issues on correcting the things she told me too, because I'm special like that and my muse was angry with me. THEN I went back and looked at the original two chapters and wanted to correct some things. So, yeah… hopefully those two chapters have been re-posted. I would LOVE to be able to say that with all the time this chapter was in the oven I have written quite a few of the next chapters as well, but I haven't. Instead my muse was going insane and A LOT of random story ideas kept popping into my head. One of which I decided to act on and now have several chapters of it written. And here's where the important stuff (kinda, not really) comes in. I'm through begging for reviews. I looked back on my past chapters and I sounded like a whiney female dog. I greatly apologize. So, new deal. I still really hope you guys review, like REALLY, but I really want to finish this story so I think I'll do my best to finish it no matter what. But firstly let me point out: It's a lot easier to get past writers block or whatever else is going on when you know you have people rooting for you to continue. It's always nice to know that you have people who are out there enjoying your writing. Also: This is my first fanfic, so I want to know how I'm doing (as in good or bad). Especially whether the characters are OOC or not, that's one of my biggest concerns. So please tell me your thoughts. Also: THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL WHO HAVE REVIEWED/FAVORITED/ALERTED/READ THIS STORY! YOU GUYS ROCK! Ok. Ramble done. Sorry it was so long. **

_**Disclaimer**_**: You see these bruises? That's where trying to own the FullMetal Franchise got me. Yeah, I don't think so. Also! Thank my totally epic Beta reader Violet! Without her this story would suck. **

**Enjoy!**

**Rules to Making Friends**

Ed blinked in shock at the person who had just crashed into him.

"Watch it, will you?" He grumbled, trying to ignore his spike of irritation when he finally gathered his wits again.

"Sorry," came the muttered reply. The boy rubbed the back of his head, and glanced around at his scattered belongings. "I didn't see you there."

Ed paused, and any thoughts of just disregarding his annoyance and leaving immediately vanished. "_Who're you calling so small that a bouncy ball could run him over, you jackass_?"

The boy looked at him in surprise. "Huh?" He asked confused by the sudden aggression from the blond. "What? No, I didn't- I just -"

"Whatever," Ed growled, before pushing himself off the floor and walking away. He wasn't about to risk losing his temper on the first day, so it was better for him to leave now.

Despite knowing that he had grown considerably over the past few years, and was now of pretty average height, he couldn't help but still be a bit defensive when other's insinuated that he was still short.

He stomped all the way down the hall muttering to himself angrily; all the while doing his best to ignore the fact that Ling was using his hand to attempt to stifle his laughter.

* * *

"Nice, meeting you too," Al muttered, slightly dumbfounded, as the boy he had crashed into walked off.

He just shook his head and chuckled as he finished picking up all of the books he had dropped. Really, people shouldn't be so sensitive about their height. He had heard of people being insecure about their stature, but that was definitely the first time he'd heard of anyone having an honest to god height _complex_.

Al had to cover his mouth just to keep from laughing out right. He also had never heard anyone rant about something like that before. Talk about an overreaction.

Then he couldn't help but frown a bit. Funny or not, the guy had been awfully rude. Al just hadn't been paying attention to anything in his rush to get to his locker; it wasn't as if he had run into him on purpose. He also wasn't even sure why the boy had thought he was referring to his height earlier; Al hadn't meant anything of the sort. To be honest the boy didn't look like he was any shorter than Al.

He bit his lip as another thought struck him. He didn't recall ever seeing the boy before then… maybe he was a new student? Al hopped he was wrong in that assumption, because he _had _recognized the person who had been walking with him. Ling.

* * *

Izumi Curtis shuffled the papers in her hands as she looked down at her watch. It was just past lunch, but she was already ready for the day to end. The morning had seemed to drag, giving it a never ending feeling. Knowing she still had two more classes for the day did nothing to help her mood.

But they were supposedly getting a new student today, so hopefully that would liven things up around here for a bit. And he was a scholarship student. She couldn't help but wonder if he'd be one of the ones who were _particularly_ gifted. She doubted it though. Even here, students like that were a rare few.

She leafed through the papers without really looking at them. She was curious as to what type of person he'd be. Would he be someone who tended to toe in line? Or would he be someone who was constantly overstepping his boundaries? Would he be someone she would have to _personally_ set straight?

As if something so non-descriptive would give her an answer, she looked down at the name that had been added to her roll call sheet. And her eyes widened.

* * *

The room that Edward walked into was brightly lit. And surprisingly, it looked like a relatively normal classroom. Granted, it was slightly bigger than most classrooms he had been in, but the layout was basically the same. The front half of the room had rows of desks that had a select few students already seated in them. The back half had experiment counters with beakers, and the like arranged neatly in the work spaces. There were science posters and quotes littering the walls of the room.

Ed took in the sight of the room, genuinely surprised that the class room of such a prestigious science school was so mundane. His thoughts were interrupted by a voice from across the room.

"Ling!" A boy who was already seated called over to them.

Ling smiled before sauntering over to him, Ed following close behind. The boy had short, neat black hair, and was wearing a dark blue polo shirt. His entire outward demeanor spoke of wealth, and class. He looked like the type of person Ed typically avoided. But at the moment, he didn't have anything better to be doing.

"Hey Selim!" Ling called back to the boy cheerfully.

As they approached him, Selim cocked his head to the side slightly. "Oh, hey, who's this?" He asked looking pointedly at Ed.

"This is my new roommate, Ed!" Ling replied enthusiastically, "Remember? I told you guys in first period that the office had assigned me one this morning."

Selim opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the girl sitting behind him.

"Of course we remember, how could we forget," the girl replied dourly. "You kept reminding us about it all morning. It's hard to forget when someone won't shut the hell up about it."

She turned her eyes towards Ed with an appraising look. "Not that I mind so much _now_, that is," She said, a suggestive tone creeping into her voice.

Ed shifted uncomfortably. The girl was dressed in a black skirt that looked like it was probably just barley within regulation, and a tight red tank top that left little room for the imagination. She had glossy black hair that tumbled down her back in curls. And oddly enough, she was also wearing a pair of short delicate black gloves.

He figured most guys would have been drooling at the mouth at this point; the girl was undeniably hot. But there was something about her, something about the way she talked to him, that made him feel uneasy. Her mannerisms almost seemed to scream 'USER', though he supposed he couldn't really judge her for that. He had met plenty of people before who turned out differently than he expected. But he still couldn't help feeling uncomfortable.

"Hello," He mumbled avoiding her gaze.

Selim laughed, "Cut it out, Solaris! You're making him nervous," He chastised lightly.

Solaris's only response was to send him a playful smile.

"So, what have you seen of the school so far?" Selim asked.

Ed shrugged, "Not much."

"That's ok. Don't worry, it shouldn't take long-" Selim didn't get to finish his sentence, before another voice joined them.

"Lunch is too damn short! How the hell do they expect me to be able to eat _and_ take a nap in 45 minutes!" someone complained from behind them.

A boy a few inches taller than Ed brushed past him and sat down next to Solaris. His hair was longer than both Ling's and Ed's, and he had somehow gelled it into stringy points that he had pulled into a high ponytail. He also could have sworn the guy was wearing eye liner. Actually, Ed doubted he would have even known what gender he was if it wasn't for the tight shirt he wore that revealed an obviously flat chest.

"Erik," Selim hissed at him.

The boy turned his attention to Selim, who inclined his head in Ed's general direction. Erik seemed to take notice of him for the first time.

"Who the hell is he?" Erik asked shrewdly.

Ed opened his mouth to make a retort, but Ling beat him to the punch.

"This is Ed! He's the new roommate I was telling you guys about before. Oh! And get this! He's a scholarship student too! Isn't that awesome?"

Selim and Solaris seemed genuinely surprised, but Erik just snorted. "_He's_ a scholarship student? Well I guess it's true then, they'll let anyone in these days," He gave Ed a quick once over, and a sneer crossed his features, "Or maybe they're just running a charity program, eh pipsqueak?"

Ed felt his blood boil. "Who the hell are you calling a pipsqueak?" He snarled.

Erik smirked, "The freak of nature shorty that's standing in front of me."

_What the hell?_ Ed growled in his head, _He's only like, and inch or two taller than me!_

"You don't have much room to talk about freaks of nature, considering I still don't know what _gender_ you are!" He snapped back. He knew it was pretty much a lie, but it's not like it really mattered to him now_. _

Surprisingly Erik didn't come back immediately with some biting response. Instead he gave him a hard look, and seemed to scrutinize him for a second. Then he smirked.

"Not bad newbie, not bad," He remarked before turning back towards the front.

Ed blinked, a bit confused by what the hell had just happened. But before the situation could get any weirder the bell rang.

"Take your seats!" The teacher barked to the class as she stood up.

She was a woman that looked to be close to middle aged, and had black hair that had been twisted into corn rows pulled back into a ponytail.

"All right class, first things first-"She started, but the sound of the door opening interrupted her.

* * *

Mrs. Curtis whipped her head around as Alphonse opened the door, pausing midsentence. She gave him a disapproving scowl as he closed the door behind him.

"The bell for class has already rung Alphonse," She reprimanded.

"Yes ma'am.' I'm sorry; I had grabbed the wrong books, and had to go back to my locker," He replied timidly.

"You're still late. Make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Yes ma'am'," Al walked cautiously over to his desk while she continued.

The only seat that was still open was towards the far side of the room. He couldn't help but give an internal groan when he noticed who he'd be sitting by. Great. Just Great. Now he'd have to spend the entire class dealing with _Them_.

Al glanced around a bit more thoroughly and was a bit surprised when he noticed that the 'new kid' he had run into in the hall was only a seat away from him. He felt his stomach plummet a bit with increasing dread. He hoped like heck that his sitting there had just been a coincidence.

_If not…,_ Al thought to himself, _this could mean trouble…_

* * *

Ed jumped a bit when the bell rung. He was surprised when he realized that that had probably been the first time he had ever paid full attention throughout an entire class. He followed Ling out the door as they headed back down the hallway.

"So, what do you have next?" Ling asked him.

Ed glanced down at his schedule. And then groaned.

"What?" Ling leaned over to peer at the slip of paper.

His brow furrowed, "Huh? You signed up for an engineering class?"

"No!" Ed cried in frustration. If there was one class he would _never_ sign up for, it was engineering. The entire _concept_ frustrated the hell out of him.

Ling's frown deepened. "That's weird. Seventh period is usually for electives," He shrugged, "Guess they didn't have any other classes open."

Ed groaned again.

Ling shrugged again, "Sorry," Then he glanced back over at the paper. "Room 356 huh? I think that's at the end of the West Wing. My class is on the other end. Good luck!"

And with that he was gone.

Ed sighed.

_I am so screwed. _

* * *

Unlike the science room, the engineering' class room was far from ordinary. The front half seemed normal enough, with work counters and stools replacing typical desks. While the back half extended past the bottom floor of the West Wing and was covered by a garage roof. There were work areas that were covered with half finished projects and raw materials. There were also tools strewn about on top of the tables. Monstrous machines loomed towards them from the back.

Ed noticed that there were contraptions (finished projects he presumed) displayed proudly on the wall on top of huge wooden blocks that were being used as shelves. He couldn't help but think that it would be just his luck if one of those things fell on him. Wait, maybe that was a good thing? It would sure as hell get him out of this place, and at the moment there was nothing he wanted more.

Ed had actually worked for a mechanic once. An older man by the name of Gruman, had been nice enough to give him a job. The guy had had a good sense of humor, and was rarely dull to be around, so the job itself hadn't been that bad. It had been easy to learn how to fix the basic problems of a car and even motorbikes. But when Gruman had tried to teach him the more complex situations, involving complicated wires and gears; he had just been completely unable to wrap his mind around it. There was something about engineering that he just couldn't grasp. And since it was a type of science, it made him that much more flustered about the entire subject. He knew enough engineering to help him with everyday fixes, and as far as Ed was concerned, that was enough.

He felt slightly surprised when he noticed that despite the fact that the bell hadn't rung yet, almost all the students seemed to be there already.

"Hello," A man with red hair came over to him smiling brightly. "You must be our new student, Edward, right?" He asked.

Ed only nodded in response.

The man's smile grew wider. "Great!" He said enthusiastically, "Well Edward, you've come at a great time! We're just beginning a section on the construction of computers, and how they've evolved since the 70's. That'll be an excellent chapter for you to start on. Now, you need a partner, but… hmmm..." He trailed off in thought looking around the room.

When he pinpointed what, or who, he'd been looking for he called, "Winry! Could you come here please?"

A girl that looked to be about Ed's own age walked over to them. She had long blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail, and clear blue eyes. She was wearing what looked to be a khaki skirt, and a blue blouse underneath a plain black smock. Ed couldn't help but think that the many earrings that decorated her ears were an odd contrast to the first impression of her appearance.

"Yes ?" She asked politely.

"Winry, would you mind being partners with our new student here? You know show him the ropes?"

Winry turned to Ed for the first time and smiled at him. "Sure!" She replied.

The chapter didn't seem far too confusing at first. Mr. Miller had given them a brief overview on computer history, and showed them the parts that made up the mechanisms of the computer. Ed had been able to keep up well enough. That is until the teacher had told the class to attempt to build the device themselves. He had even used the word _'simple'_.

Ed gaped in disbelief. This school really was for people who were into advanced science, and apparently engineering was no exception.

Luckily though, Winry knew what she was doing. She had gone to work immediately, and had asked Ed to do a few simple things, like handing her tools, holding something, or helping with simple procedures. It had been going quite smoothly, until Winry had asked him to do something that he just couldn't understand.

"What?" He asked her.

"I said: reconnect the fusion wires to the fissure in the receptor's channel," She repeated.

Ed only looked at her blankly.

She looked up at him quizzically, "You do know what a fissure is right?"

"Yes I know what a fissure is!" Ed retorted, "I just don't know what the hell you're wanting me to do!"

Winry frowned in confusion, "What? Wait. Are you telling me you don't know what the fusion wires or the receptor channel are?"

"Uh, yeah."

"How the hell do you not know any of that?" She asked incredulously, "It's one of the most basic terms of engineering!"

"Which would explain _why_ I have no idea as to what you're talking about! I don't know anything _about_ engineering!" Ed retorted.

"Well, why not? This _is_ the advanced engineering course! You have to know something."

"All, I know is the basic fixings of motor vehicles! Why would I need to know anything past that?" He demanded angrily.

"If you don't care about learning it then why are you here?" She cried in frustration.

"Because this was the only class still open!" Ed glared at the wrecked computer. "It's not hard to figure out why either."

Winry's jaw nearly fell open. "_Excuse _me?"

Ed set his jaw and glowered up at her. "Engineering is completely pointless! All you're doing is putting pieces of metal and wires together. It's idiotic! " He scoffed.

Winry glared back at him. "Oh really? Listen here buddy," She started, wagging the small wrench she had been using in front of his face. Ed took an unconscious step back before berating himself. It wasn't like she could hit him with it. Besides she probably didn't even realize that she was still holding it. "Engineering is the thing that allows everyone to have things like phones, and cars, and computers, and- and- _indoor plumbing_! Without engineering we wouldn't have any of that, now would we?" She demanded. She looked down at the parts in front of her and sighed wistfully. "It's a wonderful art that creates masterpieces the world can benefit from greatly!"

"Uh-huh. You mean like guns, and nuclear bombs?" Ed deadpanned.

She scowled at him and opened her mouth to retort when she suddenly stopped short. She seemed to consider him for a moment before grinning a bit.

"So you're saying… that you don't want to do any of the major work here?" She asked carefully.

He glanced at her, feeling a bit unsure. "Basically."

"And you want me to do the majority of the engineering?"

"Well, I- uh," For some reason when she put it that way, he felt a bit guilty. Almost like he was bailing. "I pretty much just don't want to be here, so…"

"This is perfect!" She exclaimed.

Ed looked at her blankly. "huh?"

Her grin had widened considerably, and she looked like she was about to start bouncing off the walls.

_What the hell? _Ed thought. _Wasn't she just pissed off a second ago?_

"You mean I can do all the major work on my precious projects? This is great!" She crowed.

"Ummm…."

Winry just barreled right on in her excitement. "I don't have to miss out on a single experience! I can work with all this amazing metal and become an even more experienced mechanic! I can learn so much," She looked back at him beaming. "And you can be my assistant!"

"Wait. What?" He asked feeling a bit confused and dazed.

"Yeah! You can help with all the little things and give me a hand! And you can watch what I'm doing and learn from it!" She almost seemed like she was about to squeal from happiness.

"No, I-"

"And then I can show you how amazing and wonderful engineering is!" She cried, finally stopping in her rant of happiness and beaming at him.

Ed just stared at her in shock before he lifted a brow in incredulity. "You… have some issues, don't you?"

* * *

Ed stared at the ceiling and scowled. He was laying on his back reflecting back on all the day's events. He had already finished the homework that had been assigned for his science class, and he and Ling had agreed upon a shower schedule. He had been more than willing to agree to taking a shower in the morning while Ling took one at night. Supper had been about a few hours ago, but Ed had claimed he wasn't hungry and had just stayed in the room.

He sighed and rolled over. The clock on the bedside table said 10:10. Ling had told him that lights out was at 10:30, so he shook himself of the day's thoughts and decided he might as well get changed for bed now. Ling hadn't been in the bathroom for long, so Ed figured he had plenty of time to change before his hyperactive roommate came out.

He pulled out his sleep clothes and began getting dressed; pulling on the gray sweatpants. He began slipping the black T-shirt over his head when he heard the door open.

* * *

Ling opened the bathroom door feeling refreshed from the steam of the shower, and stopped in the doorway. His eyes widened a bit as they landed on his roommate. Ed had apparently been in the middle of getting dressed for bed, because he was currently wearing a gray pair of sweatpants and had frozen in the middle of slipping a black shirt over his head.

But it was something else that had caused him to start a bit as he looked at his roommate. A large discolored patch of skin covered part of Ed's ribcage. The nasty black and blue that seemed to be turning yellow stood out against his skin like a neon sign. Ling only blinked in shock.

Ed recovered quicker than he did. He finished pulling his shirt down quickly and shot him a glare.

"What?" Ed demanded, a small snarl forming on his face.

Ling shook himself of his surprise and cocked his head to the side. "What happened to your side?" He asked forcing an oblivious tone into his voice. He was pretty sure he knew what the real answer was. But he doubted Ed would tell him.

"Nothing," Ed snapped.

"It sure didn't look like nothing," He pointed out bluntly.

Ed shot him another glare, but eventually he just sighed.

"Nothing. I've been working on a ranch for the past year or so. I was helping put up fencing and ended up getting caught in the side with one of the fence posts," He stated matter-of-factly.

Ling pursed his lips and nodded. Ed seemed to take this as a good sign, and visibly relaxed before continuing with getting ready.

He sighed inwardly. Ed must really think he was just some clueless rich kid, to even assume that he would buy that story. Ling knew what a kick to the ribs looked like. He also knew that there was no way in hell a fence post could make a mark like that.

It looked like his new roommate had a few secrets of his own. But then again, didn't they all?

Ling wasn't going to question the matter further, and just followed Ed's lead in getting ready for bed.

* * *

As the hours of the night drug on, Ed couldn't help but wish Ling hadn't brought up the bruise on his side. His dreams were anything but comforting.

* * *

_**AN**_**: Thank you for reading! Sorry once again for the far too long delay. I'll try to fix that. Also, I'm sorry that this might seem a bit choppy. Thought I should let you guys know: I'm **_**mainly**_** following the Brotherhood/manga characters and personalities. You ought to be able to understand the story without reading/watching it though. You just might not get the implications of what some things are or understand the significance of certain people until later in the story. Though, I have admittedly borrowed names from the original anime as well. *shrugs* It fit. By the way, the name 'Erik' for person-whose-name-is-pointless-to-say was Violet's idea. Apparently Eric with a 'c' is princely and Erik with a 'k' is evil, according to her. Also: For those of you who know anything about computers or engineering… sorry for the total BS. =D Please review! I want to know your thoughts and opinions on what I'm doing well on and what I'm completely screwing up! **

**Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed! =D**


	4. Chapter 4: The Past and its Grievances

_**AN**_**: Hi Guys! Ok, I've had this one written since I originally finished typing chapter three, but I wanted to wait a bit before posting it that way I could get chapter five in the oven. This one's rather short, so sorry! But it didn't really belong in either chapter so Violet and I agreed that it should be made into its own. Thank you everyone who reviewed/favorite/alerted my last story! Mucho appreciated! Oh! And in response to Greed's review: **

**Thank you! I'm glad you like it. I consider a good remark on someone's writing style to be one of the highest compliments an author can get, so I really do appreciate it!=D **

**Ok. Time for me to shut up.=D**

_**Disclaimer**_**: Yeah. I'm rich, own the FMA franchise, and dress up like a cow in my spare time…NOT!**

**The Past and its Grievances**

"_I'm telling you I didn't do it!" Martel exclaimed in exasperation._

_"Don't you dare lie to me, you little snake. Yoki said he saw you coming out of Darius's room! And even Vera claims to have seen a red iPod in your bag the other day," Brasque growled. "Mind explaining why _that_ is?"_

_Ed watched them from his position on the wall; leaning against one of the pillars next to the empty fire place. Darius had been complaining about his new iPod being stolen, and not even an hour later Brasque had come storming into the living room to confront Martel about her supposed 'crime'._

_Ed knew that what both Yoki and Vera had said was a bunch of bull shit, but it had been enough for Grahn to accuse Martel of being the culprit. He grimaced. This argument was not going anywhere pretty, and Brasque seemed convinced that she was guilty. This of course didn't deter Martel from arguing her innocence. _

_"Simple," Martel said defiantly, "There was never an iPod in my bag to begin with." _

_"I have evidence that says otherwise." _

_Martel scoffed. "You mean the weasel and the 'princess'? I'd hardly call their accusations 'evidence'. Now if you actually have a reliable source to prove that I'm the one who stole it then you'd have proof." _

_Ed felt a stab of unease. This really was starting to become a heated argument, and in no way was he liking where it was going. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kyle shift his weight nervously from one foot to the other. A lot of the other Clinic kids who had been lounging in the living room when Brasque had barged in looked uncomfortable with the situation as well. _

_Not a single one of them was oblivious as to where this would more than likely lead._

_Ed couldn't stop the surge of protectionism he felt for his friend. They had always watched each other's backs, and Martel had helped him out of a few rough patches just this week already. So he also couldn't help but feel as if he owed her the favor. Though even if he hadn't he had a feeling it wouldn't have changed a thing. _

_He struggled to bite his tongue as Brasque went red in the face. _

_He spluttered for a moment before his mouth twisted into a snarl._

_"Are you accusing a member of _my_ family, of being a liar?" He asked shrilly._

_Ed felt himself snap at the harsh tone in Brasque's voice. This had escalated far too much for his liking, and he was going to put a stop to it one way or another. _

_Martel opened her mouth to make a retort, but Ed beat her to the punch. _

_"No," He stated coolly, "You're not liars, you're merely a bunch of assholes." _

_Everyone's eyes went wide, and their jaws practically dropped to the floor. They all knew Ed had a shrewd way of talking to people, but they had never believed that he would talk to one of the Wardens with such a keen lack of respect. Especially not Brasque. _

_Martel recovered from her shock sooner than anyone else and shot a glare in his direction. He knew she'd kill him later for pulling something so idiotic and reckless on her behalf, but at the moment he didn't really care. He had gotten what he wanted: Brasque's attention. _

_The man blinked dumbly for a moment; completely stunned by Ed's sudden intervention. But he quickly shook himself of his stupor, before rounding on Ed a dangerous glint in his eyes._

_"What was that, boy?" Brasque asked in a low voice._

_"Bastard!" Ed spat. "What the hell gives you the right to accuse someone on something as unreliable as the word of a couple of bitter teenagers? Like I said: You're all a bunch of ass holes." He sneered._

_Ed honestly didn't recall seeing him cross over to him. But he very clearly felt Brasque's hand come down on the side of his face with a hard 'smack!'. Ed stumbled back from the force of the blow and hit the wall. He brought a hand up tentatively and rubbed at the searing pain at his jaw. It receded into a stinging sensation, as Ed brought up his gold eyes to glare at the man defiantly and snarled. _

_Brasque just glowered down at him. There was a terrible type of retribution in his eyes and Ed had the feeling that he would probably be regretting his words pretty soon. Not that Brasque or any of the other Clinic occupants would ever know. _

_"Everyone, get out!" Brasque snapped without looking up from Ed._

_The people in the living room began herding themselves out, glancing sympathetically, or smugly, in their direction. _

_Ed made to casually stroll out the door with the rest of them, but as he expected Brasque grabbed him roughly by the scruff of the neck. _

_"Not you," He hissed in Ed's ear._

_Martel was lagging behind the other kids a bit. She kept shooting them hesitant looks over her shoulder. She stopped in the door way and glanced over at Ed, obviously reluctant to leave her friend to his fate._

_Ed just shrugged, seemingly unfazed, and she begrudgingly closed the door behind her. _

_Ed tried to not think about the fact that the click of the door closing reminded him of the lid to a coffin clicking shut._

* * *

A shrill ringing caused Ed to wake with a start. His breathing was labored, and he had to rub his eyes a couple times before he could fully access where he was. It took him a moment to remember that he was no longer at the Clinic.

A groan caused him to glance over at his roommate.

Ling had rolled over and was glaring defiantly at the alarm clock from underneath his pillow. He groaned again before rolling back over.

While his roommate may have hated it at the moment, Ed couldn't remember the last time he had ever been so thankful to an alarm clock. Memories often affiliated with his dreams, and on nights when they seemed particularly real, Ed actually felt as if he was re-experiencing the moment. That meant he often felt everything he had back when it originally happened. Ed figured that it was probably something like phantom pains that continually bombarded him in his sleep.

He brought up a hand and rubbed at his jaw. It still ached ever so slightly. Ed sighed. He really wished that Ling wouldn't have brought up the bruise on his side, because he honestly could have done without relieving _that_ memory.

Ed glanced over at the alarm clock again. 7:02. He was going to have to get up and start getting ready if he wanted to be able to make it down to breakfast, and actually have time to eat.

So he rolled out of bed and began getting ready for his first official day at Amestris Academy.

* * *

_**AN:**_** Thanks to everyone who read! I hope you guys liked it! Please Review? I appreciate any comments, good or bad. (Note: Though unless you are Roy Mustang you are not authorized to use flames.) Constructive criticism is welcome! I appreciate all of you who are reading this story, and I hope to have my next chapter in editing before I go to camp in a few days! **

**Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5: Tug of War

**Hi people! I. Am. So, sorry! I'm trying to update faster, really! I just uh… need to learn how to balance interests with more than one fandom… hehe. And school's a real killer. But, anyways! I still need to write the next chapter, for it seems I've hit a writers' block. But never fear! This story will get finished!... eventually. Alright, now onto comments on this chapter. I really hope this isn't as OOC as I think it is. Violet said that it wasn't but, I'm still a bit unsure. So, comments please? **

**Also: OMG, YOU GUYS ARE SO FREAKING AMAZING! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews you guys are leaving me! *sniffles* I love you man! Anyways, all of you rock! I appreciate all your kind words more than you know, and please continue to let me know your thoughts, please! **

**Ok, So, I've gotten my excuses, my concerns, and my thank you out of the way now, so I'm gunna stop boring you guys and get on with it. =D**

_**Disclaimer: Yes. I own Fullmetal Alchemist. That's why I'm spending my time writing about it on Fanfiction. **_

_**Also: MAJOR CREDIT TO MY AMAZINGLY, TOTALLY AWESOME, BETA READER, FRIEND, AND THE OWNER OF THIS ACCOUNT: VIOLET! This story, would be crap without her. **_

***Ahem* And on with the show!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Tug of War**

Ed groaned and let his head fall to the table. He felt exhausted. The entire morning had been a hectic blur of trying to find his way around the maze they called a school, and dealing with both the teachers and students vocally poking and prodding him all day. It was more than a little overwhelming.

Ling had been able to help him a bit with finding his rooms, but they had only had two other classes together, so Ed had had to find his own way quite a few times. He had at least one person from Ling's group of friends in all of his classes. Well, excluding mechanics.

Nearly all of them were in his AP Chemistry course, and Ling was the only one whom he didn't have math with. Surprisingly, Selim had been the only other person to be in his Physics course. Solaris had been the only one who didn't have P.E. with them, and then he had been stuck in English class with only Erik as company. Ed wouldn't exactly call that the best experience of his life.

And the questions; all the goddamn questions! From students and teachers alike! Luckily only two of his teachers were particularly chatty, but unluckily they wouldn't shut the hell up! He was pretty sure his math teacher hated him, but, since she was choosing to ignore him, he was counting that as a blessing right now. Ed was happy that neither of the teachers from yesterday had tried to put him on the spot. Unfortunately, he had only been saved from that predicament once today. And as soon as a new kid was pointed out, everyone wanted to know everything about him.

Ed had changed schools quite a few times, so he had been prepared to be gawked at and questioned a little, but that didn't mean it wasn't tiresome. Also, it seemed that a lot of the students here were extremely curious about anything out of the ordinary. Not to mention there was something about the atmosphere of this place that just felt overbearing. Maybe because this wasn't quite like any other school he had gone to before. The classes hadn't really been hard, but Ed had felt a bit lost in a few of them because he had no idea where they were in the lessons. By the time he had figured it out, the bell rang.

So here he was, only five periods into the day, with his head on the lunch table and Erik sitting across from him. The only bright side was the actually decent looking cafeteria food on his plate. They had both kind of given up on trying to communication a while back. Whatever, as far as Ed was concerned, it was one less pain in his ass. So they both sat there in a bored silence, waiting for the others to join them from the lunch line.

Suddenly a loud crash echoed through the cafeteria, and both Ed and Erik jumped. Erik whirled around in his seat, and Ed craned his neck to the side to get a better look at the scene.

Oh, God.

There, right outside the lunch line, sitting on his ass and food all over him, was Ling. A black haired girl was standing above him, tray still outstretched from when she had apparently slammed it over his head, and breathing hard. Her teeth were gritted as she turned on her heel and walked away, grumbling under her breath.

Ling still seemed to be in a state of shock. But he carefully picked himself up as she walked away, and called after her, "Maybe another time then!"

The girl ignored him. Ling looked around him, seemingly lost for a moment, then shrugged and calmly walked back into the lunch booth to apparently ask for some napkins and, from the annoyed look on the lunch lady's face, another tray.

Ed started when he suddenly felt someone slide into the seat next to him. He immediately relaxed though when he saw it was only Selim.

Selim shook his head and sighed. "I really wish he'd stop trying that; all it does is provoke her."

Ed looked back at where the girl had gone to sit, then to where Ling was now walking towards them with a new tray, still covered in food.

"What was with that anyway?" He asked, turning back to Selim.

The other boy grimaced. "That was Ran Fan, an old friend of Ling's. They kind of had a falling out last year, along with a along with some of his other friends. But nowadays, it seems Ling's determined to pester her by asking her out," He explained.

Ed looked at him blankly. "Ok, two questions," He started. "First, what happened? Why did they all have a falling out? And second, if they had a falling out, why does Ling suddenly want to go out with her?"

Ling groaned as he sat down across from them. "Trust me; it's a stupid story."

Ed raised a brow. "If you were involved? No doubt. But still, it seems like it could be interesting," He stated with a smirk.

Ling just rolled his eyes. "All right then," He turned slightly and jerked his thumb towards where Ran Fan had sat down. "See those three over there?"

For the first time Edward looked at the people that the girl had sat with. His eyes widened in shock. "Wait a second!" He exclaimed. "That's that guy who ran into me yesterday, and that psycho mechanic from my class!"

Erik snorted. "Psycho mechanic?"

Ed turned to glower at him. "Yeah, I got stuck in the Engineering class, and as it so happens _she's_ my partner. The girl's completely insane!"

Ling gave a weak laugh. "Yup, that's Winry Rockbell for you. She's obsessed with all things mechanical. And the guy sitting next to her is Alphonse," He explained. "Anyways, I used to be friends with them and Ran Fan, but we had a bit of a… disagreement," He paused for a moment; then motioned around the table. "See, we kinda had a grudge against Selim and his friends."

Ed frowned. "Why?"

Ling sighed. "Umm… to put it simply, it was probably due to bad circumstances… and bad first impressions," He looked pointedly at Erik. "We had always thought that since Selim's father was so high society he got special treatment. We thought he could get any with anything because his Dad would just wave his position around like a magic wand. We also assumed that he and his friends were all exactly the same.

Ed blinked and looked towards Selim. "Your dad is big around here? What does that mean?"

Selim rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah… My dad is kind of the Superintendant."

Edward gaped at him in surprise before exclaiming, "What?"

"Yeah," Selim frowned, and then quickly added, "But I swear I don't get _any_ special treatment! If anything, my dad has probably told the teachers to go harder on me. It's kind of annoying actually."

Ed studied him for a moment. He had figured Selim came from a wealthier family, but he wouldn't have ever guessed that he was some big shot around here. Actually, for someone who dressed like a prep, the guy was pretty cool. Finally, he shrugged. "Hey, I haven't noticed anything, so I hardly care."

Selim gave a relieved smile.

Ling cleared his throat, looking slightly miffed at the distraction from his story. "Anyways, when I finally got to know Selim and the rest of them, I realized that they were actually pretty cool. Unfortunately though, my other friends didn't believe me," He frowned. "They were so closed minded. It's like they were determined to hold some baseless grudge against them. And the more I hung out with these guys, the more my 'friends' started to avoid talking to me. I finally confronted them about it, and they pretty much told me that I had to choose between them and Selim," He shook his head. "We haven't been on good terms since."

"Besides," Erik interjected. "Those two, Alfence and Windy or whatever, are total pricks. They act like they're above doing anything wrong. Anyone who's not them might as well be trash in their opinion," He snorted.

Ling shrugged, the frown still grimly set on his face. "They do tend to be pretty judgmental."

Ed shook his head in disgust. Trying to do the right thing was one thing, but acting like your above doing wrong was something else entirely. He'd met far too many people like that in his life. For the first time, he actually agreed with Erik on something.

"Wait," Ed said, suddenly remembering his second question. "Then why the hell are you trying to flirt with Ran Fan?"

Ling smirked. "Oh, that? It was just some running joke between us. I used to always kid around with her and Winry, asking them to marry me and what not. Although," His expression turned a bit more thoughtful. "I don't think she sees it as messing around anymore. Ran Fan is pretty, sure. And yes she could easily kick my ass, as demonstrated a few minutes ago. And if she actually said yes, then I probably wouldn't refuse. But I mainly ask her just because I know it will annoy her," He finished cheerfully.

Ed rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Man, you _are_ an idiot."

Solaris chose that moment to finally arrive with another student Ed hadn't met yet in tow. "And what did he do this time?" She asked dully.

Erik laughed. "You missed it, Ling here had his ass handed to him by a girl with a tray!"

Solaris quirked a brow. Selim chose to fill her in. "He had been attempting to flirt with Ran Fan again."

Solaris rolled her eyes as well. "That explains it."

The boy who had followed Solaris over sat across from her. He was incredibly round and plump. He seemed to waddle more than walk, and his face was covered in baby fat. The effect made his eyes look like little beads in his face. He had thin wispy black hair atop his head, and he seemed to give off an impression much like that of a lost puppy.

The plump boy turned his head to the side and looked at Ed curiously. Then he turned back to the girl in front of him.

"Solaris, who is that person?" He asked in a surprisingly childlike voice.

"Oh," Solaris looked up from her food. "Sorry, I completely forgot you two hadn't met yet," She turned to Ed. "Ed this is my little brother, Harold," She turned to address the boy in question. "Harold, this is our new friend Ed."

"Oh…," Harold replied quietly. "Hello," He said, before turning back to his food.

"Uh… Hi," Ed responded, feeling a bit unsure. What was with this guy?

He gave Ling a questioning look.

Ling glanced around a bit then brought up his hand to shield what he was saying from the others at the table(though Ed doubted it was because the others didn't know, so much as he didn't want for Harold to possibly see). He carefully mouthed the word 'Autistic' to him. Ed's eyes went wide with realization before he nodded solemnly.

Suddenly, Erik placed his hand atop of Harold's head. "Actually," He said, "All of us around here call him Gluttony," He smirked.

"…Why?" Ed asked blankly.

Erik continued to grin. "Because he'll eat just about anything, that's why! The guy just loves to eat!" He practically crowed.

"So… you call him gluttony?"

Erik shrugged. "It seemed a lot politer than fatso, so we went with it."

Selim groaned and scrubbed a hand down his face, and Solaris leveled a glare at Erik. Ling seemed to be trying to stifle his laughter, but it wasn't really working. Ed just shook his head blankly at the lot of them.

Ed paused for a moment, before glancing back over at 'Gluttony'.

"Hey, Harold?" Ed called.

"Gluttony," Ling corrected.

Ed shot him a glare. "Whatever. Hey, do you want my milk? Because I sure as hell ain't drinking it," He asked, turning his attention back to the boy.

Gluttony nodded eagerly.

"Awesome," Ed slid the carton holding the grotesque liquid across the table top to him. He had been planning to just throw it away, since the lunch ladies had just placed it on his tray without his permission, but if someone would gladly take it then they could have it.

"You don't like milk?" Erik asked dully.

Ed made a face. "How _can _you like milk? It's disgusting. It's the secretion of a cow mixed with hormones? How is that appealing in anyway?" He exclaimed.

"Ok, it is kinda gross when you put it like that," Ling said, wrinkling his nose.

Selim interjected, changing the subject. "So Ed, how has your first official day been?" He asked.

Ed frowned in thought. "It's been alright I guess. Nothing too spectacular happened, but…," he trailed off.

"But what?" Solaris asked, now curious.

"I guess it's just a bit overwhelming right now," He admitted.

Selim nodded. "This your first time going to a new school?"

Ed shook his head. "Nah, I've changed schools loads of times."

"Really?" Ling asked, jumping into the conversation after practically inhaling his food. "How many?"

"About… four or five," Ed replied thinking back.

All of them, save Gluttony, looked at him in apparent shock. Even Erik seemed to do a double take.

Ling gaped at him openly before saying, "Wow… Is your family in the Witness Protection Program?" he asked excitedly.

"Hardly," Ed replied dryly. He resisted the urge to snap at Ling for the comment. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know about Ed's family history. Or lack thereof.

Selim looked at him quizzically. "Then why-"

He was cut off when Erik yawned loudly. "All right, I'm sick of this shitty small talk. I'm going back to the dorm to take a nap," He stood up. "Make sure to save me a seat in class."

"Sure thing, _your highness_," Ling replied mockingly.

Erik just threw him a glare and walked away.

"Your highness?" Ed asked, quirking a brow.

Ling and Selim snickered a bit, and Solaris smirked.

Selim tried to get a hold on his mirth and turned to Ed. "It's just a joke from last Halloween, when Erik decided it would be fun to dress up as a Drag Queen."

Ed snorted with laughter. He could only imagine what _that_ costume would have looked like.

* * *

Alphonse grimaced and Winry flinched as Ran Fan slammed down her now empty tray. She had her teeth bared and her usually warm brown eyes narrowed, glaring at nothing in particular in front of her as she breathed harshly out her nose.

Winry and Al exchanged glances. They had seen what had happened with Ling, and they knew their friend was as steamed as ever. Out of all of them, Ran Fan seemed to have taken Ling's betrayal the hardest, and now he loved to make it worse by antagonizing her. On days like this Ran Fan usually ended up uptight and dispirited for the rest of the day; her anger coming back to her afresh.

"Hey… Ran Fan, you ok?" Al asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine," She growled.

"Yeah, and that's why your mangling your fork?" Winry asked gently as she reached over and tapped Ran Fan's hand.

Ran Fan looked down in surprise at the crushed plastic utensil in her fist. She sighed and visibly relaxed, shaking her head.

"Sorry," She said disheartened. "It's just…How can he still be so much like himself and someone else entirely at the same time?"

Al wished he could say something to comfort her, but to be honest he'd been asking himself that same question.

Winry took a deep breath and looked away. "I don't know," She replied shaking her head as well.

Ran Fan once again brought up her venomous gaze. Only this time it was directed at the table Ling had just arrived at. "It's all those bastards' doing," She snarled.

Al frowned. "We know that they did _something_ Ran Fan, but you have to remember: It was still his choice," He reminded her sadly.

Her glare didn't lower. "But if it wasn't for them, none of this would even be a problem."

Al and Winry looked at each other. They couldn't deny that Ran Fan had a point.

Winry glanced over at their table as well, scowling. "You're not wrong there," She said, disgust lacing her voice as she saw that slut Solaris and her younger brother sit down at the table as well. "I just can't stand the way they manipulate everything."

"Yeah, and now I have to spend another three hours with them again tonight," Al muttered disgruntled.

Winry and Ran Fan drew their attention away from the other table and looked at Alphonse.

"How's it been going in there lately anyways?" Ran Fan asked.

Al sighed tiredly. "Same. They haven't changed a bit, and it's harder to stand against them without anyone to back me up," He shrugged.

"Can't Izumi do something?" Winry demanded irritably.

"Come on Win, you know she does all she can, but she's still a teacher. She has limitations. Besides," He mumbled. "They're crafty. They're not about to get caught in the act."

"What's with the new kid?" Ran Fan asked suddenly.

All three of them looked back over towards the other table.

Alphonse tried not to groan out loud when he recognized the guy from yesterday sitting with them. Apparently the new kid sitting with them yesterday _hadn't_ been a coincidence as he'd hoped.

Before he could speak up, Winry exclaimed, "Hey! That's my new partner in Engineering Class!"

Al looked at her, surprised. "Really? He's the kid I crashed into in the hall and ended up having IPC with."

Ran Fan frowned. "So he's with _them_?"

Al's brow furrowed in thought. "I don't know yet. I guess I'll have to find out tonight," He turned towards Winry. "I didn't really get to talk with him a whole lot; what did he seem like to you?"

Winry cocked her head to the side, still studying the new guy. "Hmm, he kinda seemed a bit… I don't know, irritable? I wouldn't necessarily say he was just an outright jerk, but…" She shrugged, looking back at the two of them.

"It looks like their pretty chummy right now," Ran Fan stated dully, watching as the others all burst out laughing as Erik was walking away.

"I know one thing for sure," Winry growled. "I certainly don't want those bastards adding anyone else to their little collection."

Al nodded. "I don't know how close he is to any of them, but the least we can do is try to warn him about what he's getting into."

"You really think that'll work?" Ran Fan inquired skeptically.

"We can't know," Al shrugged. "But it's worth a shot."

* * *

Ed let his eyes skim over the text book page, barely bothering to read any of it. Most of it was pretty much a recap for him, having already once read a book on the entire subject. He had to hand it to the teacher (Mrs. Curtis, was it?) though, she really made the lesson sound pretty interesting.

He deftly turned the page, not even bothering to read any of the elementary charts at the bottom, when something caught his eye.

There at the bottom right hand corner was a small doodle that someone had drawn with their pencil. Ed frowned as he looked at it. It seemed to be a circle with a bunch of strange shapes in it.

He squinted a bit harder at it. Something about it just… didn't look normal. He cocked his head to the side when he realized that he could just barely make out the scientific symbol for carbon in the circle. Well that was certainly random.

Ed thought it was strange that someone would randomly throw in a symbol for carbon in a doodle. Actually, now that he looked at all of it, there seemed to be some sort of pattern to it, although he couldn't make out anything else.

He supposed it was probably a coincidence, and the circle was just a little doodle someone had drawn. Still… he just couldn't shake the feeling that it was somehow important. It did after all seem to have some semblance of science in it.

Ed shrugged and turned down the page. If it was really all that important he'd remember to try and look it up later.

* * *

"So," Winry began suddenly. "How's the transfer been going so far?"

Ed looked up in surprise. They were currently working on the next model of a computer, and so far beyond the initial 'hello' exchange, they hadn't bothered to really engage in a conversation. Ed could honestly say he couldn't care less; what with everything Ling and Erik had told him.

He was a bit shocked that she was suddenly bothering to talk to him.

"Uh, fine I guess," He answered hesitantly.

"Cool," She replied easily. "Have you started to learn the way around yet?"

Ed shrugged, refusing to let his guard down. "Well, I was able to find this place without any trouble, so that's something."

She smiled a bit. "I'm glad. Don't worry, it shouldn't take long to get used to this place."

"Hope, you're right," Ed responded lamely, trying to act as if he was working. Hopefully then she would end the conversation.

He should have known better.

"So, make any new friends yet?"

And there's the catch.

She asked it casually enough, but Ed could hear the underlying tightness in her voice. He had a good feeling she knew exactly who he'd made friends with. He could already tell this wasn't going anywhere pretty.

"Yeah, some," Ed replied nonchalantly.

"Really?" Now Ed could defiantly tell that the note of polite patience in her voice was fake. "Like who?"

He considered her for a moment. He was tempted to just tell her it was none of her business, but then she'd probably think he was trying to hide something, and that would just egg her on to question him more. Ed just really wanted this conversation to end as quickly, and cleanly as possible.

"Well, my roommate and his friends seem pretty cool," He watched her expression. Her jaw line hardened a bit, but other than that she showed no reaction.

"Oh? Who's your roommate?"

Ed frowned. The question actually had a genuine note of curiosity this time.

"A guy named Ling," He replied, shrugging. Her reaction ought to be interesting at the very least. "Know him?"

Winry stiffened.

_Yup_, Ed thought to himself, _hit the nail on the head._

She cleared her throat a bit, as if suddenly uncomfortable. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I know him."

Ed didn't bother to reply. Hopefully that little tidbit had made the conversation awkward enough to drop.

"Hey, um, Edward?" Really, he just couldn't catch a break, could he? "I kinda thought I should tell you…" She trailed off biting her lip.

"What?" He snapped. He had a feeling he knew where this was headed.

She frowned at him. "I just wanted to say… Be careful around Ling and them."

Ed snorted.

Her frown turned into a scowl. "I'm serious. They're not the best people to get involved with."

"And what? You and your little friends are?" He spat.

Winry's brow furrowed. "What? No, I'm not saying anything like… Look those people Ling hangs with, they can seriously be manipulative sometimes. They could be lying to you and you'd never know it!"

Ed glared at her. "Thanks, but I think I'm smart enough to choose my own friends," He sneered.

Winry recoiled a bit, looking slightly hurt. But it was quickly replaced by ire. "Look," She said again, this time more firmly. "I'm only trying to help you out here; I'm not telling you what friends to choose. You don't have to act like an ass about it."

"Oh, I'm sorry," He replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I'll make sure to be more polite the next time someone implies that I'm too stupid to choose my own friends."

She grit her teeth. "I never said that," She growled impatiently. "I just know what they're like after dealing with them for over a year now and-"

"So I'm supposed to automatically value your opinion above my own?" He retorted, cutting her off.

"Ugh!" She whirled away from her work to meet him glare for glare. "For the last time: That. Is NOT. What I am SAYING. I'm just trying to give you a heads up, before you go making a decision you might regret, dumb ass!" She snapped back.

Ed just snorted again, and turned away from her. "Yeah, thanks for the advice, but I think I'll make my own decisions."

And with that he turned away from her and walked back up the aisle.

"Mr. Miller," He called to the fiery headed teacher up front. "May I be excused to the nurse please?"

Mr. Miller frowned as he came up to him. "What's wrong?"

Ed glanced back towards his still fuming 'partner'. "I just have a really… _annoying_ headache."

The teacher shrugged. "Alright then. You can go."

Ed was more than happy to comply, and strolled right out of the room, completely ignoring the glowering Winry Rockbell.

* * *

"Hey," Ling asked as he and walked back to their room from Dinner. "You never said; how's the rest of your day been? You kind of avoided the question at dinner."

Ed scowled, thinking about the day didn't particularly put him in the best of moods. "Fine, except for Engineering. That bitch mechanic and I kinda got into it… again."

Ling raised a brow. "Again? So two days into your transfer and you've already had it out with the same person _twice_?" He laughed. "Nice. What happened?"

Ed sighed as they opened the door to the dorm. "Forget it. It was just some stupid thing," He replied, flopping down on his bed.

"Aw! Come on, just tell me!" Ling pleaded.

"No. It's none of your goddamn business, so don't worry about it," Ed replied heatedly.

His roommate pouted, but Ed pointedly ignored him.

Ling huffed. "Fine then. Look, you can take the shower tonight. I forgot to tell you yesterday that on Tuesdays through Fridays some of us have a club meeting from after dinner to… well, when ever," He shrugged then scratched the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. "You ok with being left alone?"

Ed glanced at him, caught between annoyance and amusement. "Are you really asking me that? I'm fifteen, Ling. Not five."

Ling gave a sheepish laugh. "I know, I just don't want you to think I'm ditching you or something like that."

"Trust me, I wouldn't care if you were," Ed replied bluntly. "Besides, I'm not one for clubs. Well, unless you guys have a martial arts course here or something."

Ling blinked at him in surprise. "You're into martial arts?"

Ed shrugged. "Or kick boxing. I dabbled in a bit of both back home, but I had to stop going after… things got a bit hectic at the ranch I worked at."

Ling shot him an unreadable look, and Ed had to resist the urge to squirm. "Right… You know I think they have an old martial arts course down at the old gym. I don't know if anyone still meets there anymore though. But at least it'd be somewhere to practice," He said frowning in thought.

"Huh. Might check it out later," Ed replied distantly.

"Well, see ya!" Ling said beaming, cheerful once again as he picked up a bag that had been discarded on the floor and walked out of the room.

Ed sighed again as he raked his fingers through his hair. It had certainly been one hell of a long day. If anything he felt like he was even more lost than the day before.

He just shook his head. He knew he had homework to be working on, but instead he pulled out his IPC book and flipped through it. He stopped when he found the page he had marked and ran a finger over the curious little circle that he couldn't seem to get out of his head.

* * *

**AN: *Passes Out* OK, it's done. I think I might of given Ran Fan more lines in this one chapter than she has in the entire series... JK. But seriously, her character's going to be a bit of a challange... so feedback on that please? Ok, I think I've said pretty much all that I can say… Oh! Except for: I'm entering a major writing contest this year, and I'm trying out for my school play today and tomorrow, so please, wish me luck! Once again, please tell me what you thought! Whether it be a critique, (A useful one though. Unless you are Roy Mustang, you are not authorized to use flames, and will be dealt with accordingly=D) , a compliment, or just personal musings, I am open to hear it. So, thank you guys millions, and:**

**I HOPE YOU ENJOYED!=D**


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